Beginning of a great adventure
by Miki X Mara
Summary: River and her secrets- she'll be the death of him... Set between Trezilore and The Time of The Doctor- The Doctor, River and Clara go on a few adventures and River, it turns out, still has a few spoilers for her Time Lord.
1. Chapter 1

So... This is my first ever fanfic... I hope it's some good? Disclaimer- I really obviously don't own Doctor Who.

Prologue...

Damn robots. Of all the places to lock him- a bloody wardrobe? Wardrobes were for things like giant evil dollhouses or possibly Hitler- when the time was right. He was The Doctor! For crying out loud! And he was locked in a wardrobe. He tried sonicing the door but it was to no avail. Not that he expected it to be. By Rassilion he hated wood! Twiddling his sonic screwdriver in one hand, he began to search his pockets with the other. When your pockets are bigger on the inside, you never know what they might hold what would be of use to you. His search was successful. With a childlike grin on his face, The doctor Soniced a message on to his psychic paper. It read- 'Second wardrobe to the left, Come if convenient, if not, come anyway.' followed by a set of space, time co-ordinates. It had been ages since he had met up with his dead wife... Suddenly the lock exploded inwards, the door swinging open with a slow creak. The Doctor squinted for a second as his eyes adjusted, then laughed and hopped out of his temporary prison.

"Hello... Sweetie." Smiled River Song as she lowered her gun.

"You know you really need to do something about that, Doctor... Highest security prison in the known universe- piece of cake... Put you in wardrobe though..." she glanced up at him as she started pulling out her diary- her eyes filled with that playful superiority of hers. He squirmed under her gaze and wrung his hands a little- feeling the need to defend himself...

"It's sonic... It doesn't work on wood." she laughed and they started to walk. They were in one of the great red deserts of the planet Blox, in the Suzariam Star System, and the only things in sight were the vast, orange sky, expanse of red sand and 7 old oak wardrobes. The planet had been ruled over by subterranean robots since the second sun had mysteriously disappeared and it's native people had died out. There had been a huge argument with the Shadow Proclamation over whether the Robots should be allowed custody over the world, and they had become rather paranoid; they presumed everyone who landed on the planet was trying to take it from them. To be honest, The Doctor had just been looking for a nice stroll.

"Thanks by the way, River." She looked up and he looked at his shoes.

"What for?" he smiled sadly.

"The usual- for coming when I called." She laughed gently and held her little blue book out of his line of sight. The doctor retrieved his matching one from one of his 'bigger on the inside' pockets.

"Okay... Have we done Jim the fish?"

"Jim the fish... Yes of course- ages ago! I last saw you on Mars!" This made the Doctor smile again, remembering the rather bizarre adventure River had pulled him into trying to save a colony of flying fish (who couldn't swim) from an oncoming flood.

"So that means you've done The Pyramids then... wife..." At this she laughed, albeit quietly.

"Okay the last place I saw you was... Manhattan. Sort of..." River grasped his hand in her own, ignoring the sort of. River knew The Doctor would never stop missing the Ponds, her parents, and at times she almost hated herself for leaving him with the guilt. She knew this was irrational of course, but she had encouraged Amy to go. She felt as though she needed to make excuses- prove to him that it was the right decision. Try and wish away some of her own guilt as well.

"They're alright Doctor- I dropped off the book a few weeks back, Amy's pregnant again! They're happy, you know. They asked me to make sure you weren't alone..." River drifted off as The Doctor went still and looked at her nervously, a sudden realisation bringing panic to his eyes.

"Doctor... Doctor what's wrong... What have you done?" He shifted uncomfortably in her gaze and looked at the floor. Sometimes she hated that man.

"Ah... Um..." He tried to think of the best way to phrase it. The look in his wife's eyes told him he should be swift about it.

"I'm not alone actually. Ah... Clara... I seem to have forgotten which wardrobe they left her in."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- really obviously don't own Doctor Who. Yeah-please feel free to review?

Chapter 1- New Companion

"New companion?" River said, her tone a little too disappointed for even him to miss. He knew she didn't want him to be alone, of course, but a little part of her still squirmed at the idea of him not being entirely hers.

"Well um yeah. She's nice- she dies a lot." His comment was met with a smile and the Doctor felt himself praying that this wouldn't be like Sarah Jane and Rose all over again. Still smiling to herself, River turned on her heel and walked towards the nearest wardrobe, deciding this was probably the best way to figure out where she was.

"No no no very bad idea. Don't open that!" River just sighed and tugged the door open. There was a yell, a flash of blue light and a rusty voice that screeched "EXTERMINATE." before The Doctor slammed the door shut and pulled River away.

"What did I say River. Just then what did I say. I said don't open the door. Why do you always insist on not listening! You're going to get yourself killed!" The anger in his voice was unusual- it scared her. It also told her that her husband was still hurting. Whether over her parents or something else she was unsure. She took a step back, pulling her arm from his grip. Neither of them said anything and the silence passed between them like ice cold water. After a few year-long seconds, The Doctor looked down. "I'm sorry, River. It just annoys me when you go risking your life pointlessly. It's a waste." She could hear the pain in his voice and slowly realised- the hurt was because of her. It was something she'd done. Tears welled up in her eyes, seeing her Doctor so vulnerable, and she pulled him into a careful hug so as to avoid looking into his eyes. He was unreceptive at first, but soon his arms were wrapped tightly around her, as though he would never let her go. She barely heard his voice- muffled as it was by her hair, but she knew what he said and it scared he more than any words she'd ever heard.

I thought I'd never see you again."

When the moment passed, they released each other and looked around. There were still another five wardrobes, in which Clara could be lying unconscious, and no safe way to figure out where she was. Of course, there was probably a really simple solution, but being themselves; The Doctor and River Song proceeded to bicker about every variable under the sun(s), failing to notice the metallic whirring that was slowly filling the air.

"You're seriously telling me that your sonic screw driver won't pick up Clara because it doesn't like her? By the Face of Boe, Doctor! Who is sh..." River's complain was cut of abruptly, mid eye roll, as she suddenly noticed the army of machines advancing towards them from behind her husband's shoulder. Noticing her widening eyes, The Doctor slowly turned his head to see... He saw. The moment he did, the two time travellers began frantically pulling at and slamming doors- each picking up clues of the other's progress by yells of "YOU WILL BE DELETED" or "... FOR THE GLORY OF THE SONTARAN EMPIRE." until finally The Doctor heard- "Doctor! Red dress dark hair? I think this is her!" In a moment they were running full pelt, Clara over The Doctor's shoulder and gunfire surrounding them. It was great, for both of them, to be running together like this again- River's gun blazing and the Sonic Screwdriver whirring in it's characteristic manner. The adrenaline had them both smiling and flirting like nothing had ever happened.

They weren't sure how long they ran for, but by the time they had forced the TARDIS doors shut behind them, River was on the floor laughing and out of breath- gun in hand, The Doctor had a brilliant grin plastered over his face and Clara (who was just beginning to wake up) had started to pound the Doctor's back with her little fists. Remembering her, he set her down carefully on the TARDIS floor- where she proceeded to quizz him about why it was her head was so "buzzy." It was at this point she noticed River, who had begun to quietly pilot the TARDIS, sorting out her windswept curls as she went along.

"Um. Doctor. She's dead. I saw her she's dead." once again the Doctor was amazed by Clara's complete lack of tact. He tried to amend the situation by making her statement a little vaguer. By the darkness in River's eyes, he wasn't ever so sure it worked.

"Dead?... So are you, so am I. Like I said- we all have a grave somewhere out there. River hasn't got to hers yet." The blond looked up and smiled.

"Spoilers, dear. We try not to give too much away." To her credit, the girl may have been able to blame her social lapse partly on concusion, as instead of replying, Clara stumbled a little and put her hand to her head- it looked as though it had begun to bleed.

"Ooh, ah- she's bleeding, River what do we do? It's just sort of appearing how do we stop it." River rushed over to help Clara sit, sending the Doctor to go and get a suply kit she knew wasn't where she had said it was. Sometimes she just needed to get him out of her hair. Pulling it out from under the chair, she began to use the wipes to dab at the cut that was almost hidden by the younger girl's hair.

"So you're his wife then?" River smiled, she knew her Doctor, and she knew he wouldn't have told Clara a thing about her.

"Yes, dear. I also killed him one time. It's complicated." Clara laughed quietly, ignoring the pain radiating from where the rock had hit her.

"Only he would marry his murderer." Both the Doctor's women laughed at this, and River explained a little of their relationship to Clara. She was trying her hardest to leave of the dark parts, the painful moments and the times that broke her heart. This left a tale that was mostly comical, with the occasional alien. By the time The Doctor returned with comments on "I did check twice I promise" They were both in stitches, the blood flow from Clara's head having stopped half an hour ago. He stopped at the top of the stairs.

"Have you two been talking about me?" This produced a fresh fit of giggles and The Doctor began to regret asking River for help. River, on the other hand, had decided she quite liked The Doctor's new companion.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- I really, obviously, do not own Doctor Who.

Chapter 2- River's Farewell?

There was nothing wrong with staying with The Doctor and Clara- in the weeks she had spent on board the TARDIS (merely by default) they had enjoyed some good times. It was just that Clara wasn't a very good actor. Every morning The Doctor would wake them both up, rush them to get ready and drop off Clara at work. This was fine... Except every morning as she walked out of the TARDIS doors, she would stop to hug River a just little too tightly for a little too long. Then she would break off the hug and give her a smile that was just a little too sad. Between this and The Doctor's words to her on Blox, River knew something was wrong. Something in her future was very, very wrong. On the 17th day of her visit, she'd had enough. As the younger woman walked away from the TARDIS that morning, River was sure she had seen her wipe away a tear. Pretending not to notice, she waved and shut the door behind her.

Of course she hadn't been the only one to see, The Doctor was behind her, staring intently at the scanner and attempting to hide the guilt in his eyes. When he saw her looking, he began to blurt out random phrases about a planet with the ten best aquariums in the universe, running around and flicking switches that she knew were only there for show.

"They just have city after city of dolphins! All different colours! All different tricks! They have colour coded tricky dolphins! But you have to go during..."

"Doctor." Instead of stopping, or looking at her, he kept going, as if hoping she'd forget.

"And on the seventh continent... Continent of the fire breathing sting rays there's a..."

"Doctor." On he went, just talking, not really saying anything.

"And they light up the waters at night like lanterns... Only underwater... It's almost as if..."

"DOCTOR WILL YOU PLEASE, FOR A MOMENT, LISTEN TO ME?!" he stopped. And he stopped in a way that let her know he'd been listening all along. He was scared, scared of what she was about to say. The Doctor had been putting this off for too long, but he had to stop.

River hadn't meant to snap but she couldn't take this much longer. They were her best friends, and they were one step away from mourning her. It was unbearable. And it was terrifying. She tried to calm down, breathing out through her nose and shutting her eyes for a moment. But the instant she closed them, they felt heavy and hot, her breath catching in her throat.

"Doctor. Please tell me what's wrong." Try as she might to sound angry, he could hear her voice crack in the middle, hear how thick it sounded. He looked up to see that she was on the brink of tears. He took a step towards her, nervous, and she looked down.

"Please, Doctor. Am I dead. Have you seen that happen? Is my death okay?" He opened his mouth, trying to form words, but nothing came out.

"Please tell me it's okay." He couldn't say a word, he tried, but he couldn't.

"Doctor I'm scared." The Doctor pulled her into a tight hug as she started to cry, and she couldn't stop. She couldn't stop because it wasn't a hug that told you it was going to be okay. Once again, it was a hug that was terrified to let go. Soon enough, her arms were wrapped tightly around his slender body and her face was buried in his shoulder as he rocked her, ever so gently. He closed his eyes and images of his River flashed in front of his eyes. His River sitting in that chair, a smile on her face and wires covering her body. His River fading away with a quiet goodbye. His River, weeping as he told her she had to kill the man she loved. His River, marrying him. His Song was ending, and no. It was not okay.

It was at that precise moment that Clara rushed into the TARDIS.

"Oh thank god you're here I forgot my... God, River... Sorry... I..." The Doctor slowly released River, and she stormed off in the direction of their bedroom. If there was anything that she didn't like, it was for people to think she was weak. She was probably embarrassed.

The Doctor leant on the console and looked at his shoes. Clara let the TARDIS door swing shut and took a few steps towards him.

"Is she alright?" He looked up at her, the fury of a Time Lord burning in his eyes. It was a rare moment that The Doctor scared her, but this counted as one of those rare moments.

"Alright? Clara of course she's not alright! You can't just go telling someone you've seen them dead, what did you expect? She's terrified!" The girl looked away from his eyes, guilt choking her and making her cheeks burn red. They stood there for the longest time, listening to the loud bangs of River rushing to shove her belongings into a single bag. When the sounds finally stopped, Clara felt she needed to break the silence.

"Is there no way we can stop this?" His reply was soothing and he put a hand on her arm. His anger had somehow ebbed away. He knew she had become fond of River in the last few weeks and he knew she hadn't meant to do harm.

"I'm sorry- this is a fixed point. No changing it. No re-writing time. I've known this was coming for years." From behind him he heard River speak, her voice under control.

"Did you know when you married me?" He turned to face her, meeting her gaze. She was carrying a heavy bag over one shoulder and she had returned her vortex manipulator to her wrist. This was it then, she was leaving.

"Yes." The look in her eyes was almost betrayal, and it felt like a knife to his gut.

"You married me anyway?" for a second he feared she might share weeping again, but she stayed strong.

"Well who else was I going to fall in love with?" Moving slowly, her every action tired, River closed the space between them.

"Well then love, until the next time. You still have to take me to Derillium- to see the singing towers, remember?" Standing so close now, she could see the universe in his eyes, and every inch was full of wonder and tragedy the likes of which you can't imagine. Carefully putting a hand on his cheek, she let him pull her even nearer.

"I promise." He whispered in return.

Shutting her eyes, she tilted her head up and kissed him, softly and with all the passion she had left- as she did, she felt him entwine the fingers of their spare hands together. When she broke the kiss, a single tear ran down his cheek and they both felt something shatter inside. That was when he really knew- he would never see her again.

Retrieving her bag from the floor, River Song walked out of his life and towards her death, without even looking back over her shoulder.

"Goodbye, River."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer- I do not own Doctor Who. I do own Map though. **

Chapter 3-

The Doctor was sulking. Since River left them both, he had spent every day fixing things and messing with wires that Clara couldn't tell apart, whilst she traipsed around the past, the future, or possibly just her classroom. He had begun to take particular pleasure in kicking the TARDIS console. On the third day, she found him sitting, his legs swinging out of the TARDIS doors, watching a star burn up. In the mood he had put her in, she didn't feel much like talking to him, but something about the way he was slumped made him look defeated, broken, so she sat down next to him. Looking around, she saw he was crying, and she wondered if he had ever stopped in the days since his wife walked away through those blue front doors. Looking around for something to comfort him, she remembered that she was holding a cup of tea and passed it to him.

"You are so English. I had a friend once who was really Scottish. Amelia Pond." Clara smiled, she liked hearing stories from his past, but he didn't continue. She nudged him gently and prompted.

"Where is she now?" He looked down at his tea. She looked too and saw the light of the dying star reflected in the milky substance. Then she watched the ripples distort the image as a single tear hit the surface.

"Gone where I can't follow. She lost a lot for me. Would have lost a million times as much for Rory, her husband. Pond girls are like that... Brave."

"You know a lot of Pond girls?" The Doctor laughed gently and took a sip of tea. Gross. Who drinks tea they've been crying into?

"Just her and Melody. Oh of course! You wouldn't know! The only water in the forest is the river. Melody Pond. River Song. She was brave too. So brave she died for me. Ended time and gave away all her regeneration energy as well. Gone too now. For me anyway. There's always a version of Professor River Song somewhere out there in time and space. I think she probably spends quite a lot of time with Amy and Rory, now I can't. She told me that Amy is pregnant again, but I know she was lying. After Melody she couldn't have children anymore. No more Ponds." Clara looked at him for a second then rolled her eyes.

"You know I didn't really need the life story of River Song. Shut up moping I'm bored."

And he did, just like that. He chucked his tea into the supernova, jumped to his feet and got to work flicking every switch in sight. Clara laughed and ran in after him, glad that the party hadn't come to a stand still quite yet. Then he stopped, stopped and looked at her.

"Clara, hold onto something." she grabbed the railings around the console room and asked him why.

"Well... I can't go strait to Amy and Rory, but I've been thinking, these last few days, I can go to Manhattan 5 years later at the earliest. It's possible, but it's still going to be a bumpy ride." Clara let go of the railings and sighed.

"What. What is it?" He looked concerned then, he had always been a bit of an idiot.

"I don't want you to drag me around as light entertainment anymore Doctor. You don't want me here. Do you know how many times you've accidentally called me Amy? I just kept letting it go, fr your sake, Doctor. But the last thing I want to do is meet her." Walking forward, he put his hands on each of her arms and looked strait into her eyes.

"Clara. You're my impossible girl. Why are you so worried?"

"But not like she is. I can't be her, Doctor. And I don't mind. But don't make me do this- watch you fall in love with the Pond family all over again, forget that I exist. Then have to let them go. I can't stop you from seeing them, but drop me off at home first. I don't want to leave you Doctor, just come back for me when your hearts aren't in pieces over them."

He let her go. It was only fair. He dropped her off in her bedroom and gave her a Jammy Dodger and a hug, then shut the TARDIS doors behind her. The last thing she said to him was...

"oh! I nearly forgot! River told me that when you were going back to the pond, to tell you to look after the map. I don't know about the map but it's pretty obvious she meant now." The first thing he did after leaving her was stop off at New new new new new new new London to get a new tux, bow tie and top hat included, then set the TARDIS to "Pond." Surprisingly, this worked. When he got to New York, he thought it would take days to find Amy again, but when the TARDIS materialised, the first thing he heard from outside the doors was a loud, Scottish accent yelling

"RORRRYYYY!" Slightly nervous, The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and waved his hands about in an awkward hello. Or he tried to. He was suddenly enveloped in Pond arms. He laughed, there was nothing so good as the return of a loved one lost. Then she let go, pulling back to look sheepishly into his eyes. The Doctor knew that look, it was the same look River gave him when she had just broken some law on some planet.

"Amy. What have you done?" he tried to say it softly, but he couldn't quite remove the suspicion from his voice. She stepped back, wringing her hands and looking not a day older. In fact, she still reminded him of little Amelia Pond from Leadsworth all those years ago.

"You know when you do something bad and you know that, however unlikely, there's a possibility that you might have to explain yourself some day... So you think through exactly what you might have to say? Well I really didn't think you might be coming back for us. So I didn't do that." Whatever it was that Amy had done was seemingly worrying enough for her to be unable to enjoy their reunion. He was about to bring it up, but at that precise moment, a voice came from behind him.

"Ah, no. Maiya. Don't go in there." The Doctor turned to see a young girl, no older than 16, standing in the doorway with 23rd century headphones around her neck and a recently signed Bowie top from his 1973 Aladdin Sane tour. Not to mention the Victorian era coat hanging open and the seemingly original cowboy boots she sported. Her hair was bright orange and bushy and her eye makeup was yellow and green with dark eyeliner rimming her eyes. In short, she was not from the 40s.

"Um. Hi." the girl, Maiya, said as Rory caught up with her, out of breath. Rory not quite knowing what to do, the clearly befuddled girl was swept behind him and hurried into a door nearby.

"Hello Ponds?" The Doctor said on his return.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to take a detour." Amy hugged him again, Rory too, and they all sat down, tea materialising in that magical way it does around British people. They talked for a while about what they'd all been up to before The Doctor couldn't leave it any longer.

"So... Maiya?"

"We... Adopted her..." The Doctor put down his tea and turned his gaze towards Amy.

"From what century?" Amy looked to Rory.

"Why is it always my turn? Ugh fine. River found her on her travels, we're not sure where but obviously she couldn't keep her what with the fact that... Well... She's River... Anyway she said she trusted us to do a good job raising her from now on and... Well Amy can't have kids... We know she shouldn't be here, that it's probably breaking some law or other but... We couldn't just make River take her to some orphanage. Her name is Maiya Angelica Pond." The Doctor smiled. He didn't know what he had been expecting, but this was a huge relief.

"Well bring her through! Let me meet her! No need to hide her away... But can I just ask? Where did she get all the timey wimey stuff from?" The Ponds laughed.

"Oh... She had it when River dropped her off. If you think that's something... She even has a sonic screwdriver!" So she had been dropped off here after Darillium. He suddenly realised that Amy was still talking.

"Maybe it would be better if you went and talked to her yourself." He nodded, smiled and allowed Rory to escort him to the room they had left Maiya in.

"Maiya, there's someone we want you to meet." The girl let him in and they sat on either end of her bed, just looking at each their for a minute or two.

"Call me Map."

"Call me Doctor." They grinned at each other and, deciding he was alright, she offered him a Jammy Dodger, which he graciously accepted.

"River left me a message." Map rolled her eyes and spoke through biscuit.

"Did you understed it?" He laughed.

"Not a word, as always. She told Clara, a friend of mine to tell me 'When you go back to the pond, look after the map.' I hadn't a clue what she was talking about but I guess she meant you." Map looked a little sad.

"She left a similar message for me."

"What was it."

"If I don't come back for you, ask the Doctor. I guess she meant you too. Where is she Doctor. Is she going to come back for me?" That was when he realised, Amy and Rory had left him the job of telling her that her saviour, and seemingly a close friend of hers, was dead. That's was why he'd been sent in here alone. At first he didn't know Wharton say, but what with the guilt that he could feel pressing down on his chest, he decided to start with an apology.

"I'm sorry Map. River isn't coming back for anyone. She died in the Library, saving thousands of lives. But she knew that you would be safe, she didn't abandon you. Because I will never stop protecting you, I promise. And I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." The girl started crying, bright colours running down her face, and he pulled her into a tight hug.

When she'd stopped sobbing, she asked to be alone, and The Doctor left to talk to Amy and Rory. They knew something was wrong the moment they saw him, there was too much pain in his eyes, pain and anger.

"You lied. You knew I was coming, otherwise you would have told her ages ago that River is dead." Once again, he was very, very wrong. The shock on both of their faces told him that. Amy's face had gone pale, her mouth open slightly and her eyes wide. Rory wore a similar expression, only his eyes were so, so much darker.

"Doctor... What?" Rory grabbed Amy's arm as an instinctive gesture. She looked as if she might pass out.

"What do you mean she's dead. She can't be. She's my daughter."

The Doctor took a step towards her, and just like on Demon's Run, she took a step away.

"Amy, I'm sorry, I..." Rory punched him. He was fighting to hold back tears, but Amy was already a wreck on the floor. All The Doctor could hear was Amy's plaintive cries. Crying out 'Melody' over and over, despair rocking her back an forth. He watched as she rocked, her arms out in front of her as if she could still hold her baby girl. It looked as if someone had ripped out a part of her soul, and he knew she would never be the same. Rory was crouched next to her, one hand clasped tightly on her shoulder, eyes shut tight. However tight he shut them, he couldn't stop the tears from fighting their way through. However strait he kept his mouth, he still couldn't stop it from trembling slightly, along with his tense shoulders.

Unseen by the three, Map was quietly opening the TARDIS doors behind them, looking for a place to hide.

When he couldn't compose himself anymore, Rory fell into her arms, sobbing also, and the two cried, holding each other, crumpled on the floor. At first The Doctor couldn't hear what Amy was saying, her sobs muffled the words, but with her scream a moment later, he was quite sure.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! It's your fault! If we'd never met you Melody would have been normal, she would have been safe." For a moment she couldn't speak, all he wanted to hear was her forgiveness, but he wouldn't get it.

"Just get out." Unable to look into her eyes, The Doctor turned and walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer- Still don't own Doctor Who, just Map.**

**This is sort of a filler chapter... But still... Feel free to review ;D would make my day xxx**

Chapter 4-

"Do you think she's safe?" Rory sighed and turned back towards her. They's had similar conversations almost constantly for the last two days, each one ended with the decision that there was nothing they could do. From the moment Amy had realised Maiya was gone, she'd known exactly who she was with. There was no telling where or when she was, or when she'd get back, so they waited. Waited and argued about who's fault it was. Rory was sure it was The Doctor's, Amy blamed herself.

"She's with The Doctor."

"Yeah but that doesn't mean she's safe, does it." Angrily turning back to the omelette he was making, Rory cracked an egg on the side of a bowl.

"No! From experience, I'd say it means the opposite!" Amy would have retorted, but something distracted them. From the front room, The Ponds heard a loud, all too familiar, wheezing noise, and set off running. What they found was Maiya banging on the TARDIS doors, absolutely furious.

"RIVER YOU CAN'T DO THIS! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME HERE!" Taking a brief moment to see that she wasn't hurt, they ran past her and through the blue doors. The Doctor didn't even notice. He was screaming at River, who looked like she might shoot him where he stood.

"YOU NEED TO TELL THEM THE TRUTH, RIVER. FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE CAN'T YOU JUST TELL THEM THE TRUTH?"

"I DON'T SEE WHY I HAVE TO DO IT RIGHT THIS MINUTE! I THINK WE'VE GOT MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO TALK ABOUT!"

"THEY NEED TO KNOW YOU'RE ALIVE!" She stopped, about to yell something, and her glare turned from desperate to icy.

"Doctor, why would they not think I was alive?" Amy had no idea what was going on. It seemed as though they had missed something.

"I watched you die." His voice was dark, his eyes unforgiving, but The Ponds could tell from the set of his mouth that he was holding back tears.

"I watched you kill yourself, for me. I saw your dead body disintegrate. I didn't think that you would let me believe that if it wasn't true." River turned away, she couldn't look into his eyes. Amy looked at her, and everything became a little bit clearer, and she was disappointed in her daughter. Disappointed because she had allowed her Doctor to mourn her death, and she could live with that.

"But why did you have to tell them? Couldn't you have just let them believe?" The Doctor was clearly at the end of his tether. This woman, for whom he would have died a thousand times, had betrayed him. If he'd ever had any mercy, it was gone now.

"BECAUSE YOU LEFT HER HERE, ABANDONED HER, WAITING FOR YOU TO COME HOME. IT'S BEEN FOUR YEARS RIVER. I THOUGH SHE DESERVED TO KNOW THAT THERE WAS NO POINT WAITING ON A DEAD WOMAN." The Doctor was crying and River's nails were digging into her skin. Amy took a step forwards, between the two of them, alerting The Doctor to her presence. She looked into his eyes, full of betrayal, then turned towards his other half. She had her back to Amy, and she looked as if she was braced for a wave to hit her. She would have thought it was anguish, but she knew all too well it was guilt.

"Melody. What is going on." She turned, startled, she'd obviously forgotten where she was. Her face was panicked, unready to face up to her actions. She opened her mouth to speak, but The Doctor interrupted.

"She's not Melody, she's not my wife and she's not your daughter. That woman died in the Library, whoever this is, it's not her.' River's eyes were pained, but still cold.

"Amy, please." She had never felt so conflicted in her life- torn between her daughter and her best friend, she shut her eyes and prayed that one of them would make the decision for her. She couldn't do it, she couldn't choose. When she opened them, River was gone. Sometimes she forgot she could so that. Looking behind her, she saw the door shut behind Rory, who had left to talk to Maiya. Looking to her left, she saw The Doctor's back. Stepping towards him, she reached out to touch him, but he flinched away.

"Doctor, what's going on? Please?" He turned towards her, fear flooding his eyes. He was no longer that dangerous man- killer of millions, Last of the Time Lords- he was naive again, naive and slightly lost. She pulled him into a hug, and he held on to her tightly. When she thought he was prepared to talk, she led him back through to the New York living room, sitting him down with Maiya (opposite herself and Rory) and they began to recount their tale of the last few weeks.

"It isn't his fault, really! I hid in the TARDIS and when he realised I was there, she wouldn't let us come back to New York!" Amy raised her eyebrows at the younger girl, about to scald her for running away, but Rory interrupted.

"Where were you both when you realised anyway?" The Doctor and Maiya looked at each other, trying to hold back a grin.

"Hey, Doctor- 'OH MY GOD YOU KIDNAPPED A SPACE MONKEY'!" She started waving her arms about manically and The Doctor laughed. The Ponds just looked at each other and waited for an explanation.

LATE 2013, CLARA'S HOUSE.

Clara took a bite out of her Jammy Dodger and waited for the tell tale sound of the TARDIS brakes. It only took about three seconds. Her smile faded however, when a small, frizzy orange creature with bright patterns on it's face and bizarre clothing fell through the TARDIS doors.

"NO MAP I TOLD YOU TO STAY!" The Doctor fell through after her. The inside of the TARDIS was smoking a little and the brightly coloured creature rolled around on the carpet, putting out some flames that had started licking at it's shoulder. Clara panicked, jumping onto her bed and screaming.

"OH MY GOD! DOCTOR! YOU KIDNAPPED A SPACE MONKEY!" Slightly singed, panting, The Doctor and Space Monkey leant back against the TARDIS doors and started laughing.

"Doctor?" After a moment, Clara realised that the orange fur was in fact bright, ginger hair, and that the patterns on the girl's face were brightly coloured tear tracks. She climbed down from her bed and leant closer to examine the Monkey's hair. It stuck out at odd angles in bright, frizzy curls. She pulled at a bit of it, letting it ping back like a spring.

"That's amazing."

1941, THE POND'S HOUSE

"You know we actually meant an explanation of what is going on. We really didn't need to know about our daughter being a space monkey." The Doctor looked down, feeling a little awkward. Whatever he was about to say, Map beat him to it.

"Actually, I'm not your daughter. I am your granddaughter though."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer- Don't own Doctor Who. Just Map**

**If you like/dislike please review xxxx will love you forever.**

AMSTERDAM, 2023

"And the TARDIS won't let you go back to 1942 or whatever?" Clara, Map and The Doctor were sitting outside a cafe in Amsterdam- 2023. Nothing too much was different, apart from the calorie free apple pies and hovering bicycles.

"1941. And I've explained this already, Clara! Somehow, I don't understand it, but somehow she has some sort of telepathic link with the TARDIS. She doesn't want to go home so she's not. I just don't understand it. I mean..." Clara and Map left him to it. He had started hesitantly putting a cup to his ear and then looking at it. It was as if he was trying to decide if something was a good idea.

"Have you always lived with the Ponds?"

"Nope. Four years. Before that I traveled with River for two years. She decided it was too dangerous in the end. Before that an orphanage."

So where else have you been... Other than 1941... You know, with Professor Song." Map smiled.

"I shouldn't say." Clara rolled her eyes.

"Well there was this one time..."

SKARO, FIVE YEARS EARLIER.

"THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING HERE, RIVER." Map spun around, firing a beam through the eyestalk of a Dalek. They were surrounded, With no warning they had been teleported to Skaro, in the middle of a fleet of brightly coloured Daleks. Map fired her last shots, hearing River do the same.

"EXTERMINATE!" a bright pink Dalek screeched. Something was obviously wrong with its voice control.

"DUCK!" it was River, behind her. She ducked. A fork flew through the air and hit the eyestalk of the Dalek- sticking.

"YOU ARE DEFENCELESS. YOU WILL FOLLOW OR YOU WILL BE EXTERRRMINATED." the pink Dalek squealed at them, eyestalk wiggling, fork still sticking out. They burst out laughing.

AMSTERDAM, 2023.

"So when we got to their base, this pink Dalek started asking questions about the Doctor, 'cause you know she's his wife and all... Apparently that's why they wanted us! and they didn't have anyone around with hands, so we were stuck being interrogated by a fork wielding Dalek!" Clara was giggling so hard she could barely breath.

"And what did River say?"

"Well she started on this rant about how he never cleans the kitchen when she tells him, just hides all the cutlery! That's why she keeps finding forks in her pockets. The worst part was having to sit there, listening to this pink pepper pot giving River advice on how to sort out her marital problems!" the two of them laughed for a second before Clara asked of River and The Doctor had a lot of problems.

"Oh yeah! I mean how could they not? They love each other to the ends of the universe and all but... She's a lier and he has two hearts. So she's always self conscious, because of the guilt she carries around, then he gets upset over something and insults her. Or he's just finally beginning to trust her and then he realises that it's all a lie, again. So many lies I don't understand why he ever believes her. And he's so insensitive I don't know how anyone could stand him. Let alone someone to whom his opinion is the only one that counts." Clara put an arm around her shoulder.

"No offends but you seem a little bitter." Map laughed. It wasn't a nice laugh though, it was just a little too dark, a little too knowing.

"Of course I'm bitter. I grew up with River. I grew up with what he left behind. Then she left me, left me with all her promises, left me with Amy and Rory. Then I realised- me, Amy and Rory are the people that she left behind. They're just as bad as each other. The only reason I don't mind The Doctor is that unlike her, he always comes back." That was when The Doctor stuck his ear to the cup a final time, then the cup to Map's chest. She squealed in surprise. He moved the cup around a little and them sat up, staring at her.

"No."

"What!"

"Nononononotpossiblethat is .not .possible." Clara and Map stared at each other.

"I think he's really lost it this time, Clara."

"I think you might be right." They looked back at The Doctor, who swallowed and stared at his glass before putting it on the table. He stayed perfectly still for a moment then stuck his hand (up to the elbow) into his trouser pocket. There was a slight clinking noise as he rummaged, twisting this way and that.

"What've you got down there? A Labyrinth?"

"Pockets. Bigger on the inside, Clara." Map giggled.

"What?" She looked back at Clara.

"I'm just imagining that he really does have a Labyrinth down there! You know like the movie, complete with David Bowie in tights?" Clara giggled as well and he Doctor rolled his eyes, pulling out his arm, hand holding a stethoscope.

"Where do you think he got to those ten years?" Clara just stared. Then The Doctor shoved the stethoscope into Clara's hands and pointed at Map's chest.

"Listen." she did.

"What the." Now Clara was staring too.

"I know." The Doctor poked Map. She hit him.

"Not possible." Clara poked Map. She hit her.

"I know." Map rolled her eyes. They were looking at her like a specimen. She took a sip of water.

"Two hearts." She choked on said water.

"What?"

A RANDOM HOSPITAL, A RANDOM TIME.

"Melody, you do realise it would be unwise to try and raise a child, with your lifestyle." River was sitting in a hospital wing, her attention fixed on the newborn child staring up at her.

"Hm?" The woman sighed.

"I said you do realise you can't keep her?" This got her attention, she looked up, panic in her eyes.

"I suggest you make it easier on yourself and give her up now". That was when everything started moving very quickly. She was screaming. Someone was trying to take her baby from her. She felt a jab in her neck.

"Don't try and remember this. We've been far too thorough with your little head."

Everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer- don't own Doctor Who... What a shame... **

**A/N Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while- i had lots of coursework to do and I've been moving... Anyway... I would love reviews? Xxx :)**

ARGUMENTS

Map was sitting in what was basically the 'attic' of the TARDIS, strumming her guitar and trying not to hear whatever argument the Doctor and Clara were having downstairs. Normally she would be interested but today she just didn't want to know. She knew that if was about her, and that was enough already.  
"Doctor she's a"  
The Doctor interrupted.  
"She's a"  
He kept going.  
"Doctor"  
And going.  
"She's a"  
And going.  
"Doctor! Map is a"  
So did she.  
"TIME LORD"  
He didn't.  
"No."  
"No?"  
The discussion became heated and all Map could hear after that was singular words.  
Clara: "Can't"  
Doctor: "How"  
Clara: "Please."  
Doctor: "No."  
Clara: "Listen"  
Doctor: "Impossible."  
Clara :"TARDIS."  
Doctor: "River."  
Clara: "No."  
Doctor: "Come."  
Clara: "No."  
Doctor: "Please."  
Clara: "Where."  
Doctor: "River."  
Clara: "No."  
Doctor: "Clara."  
Clara: "Yes."  
Doctor: "Please."  
Clara: "No."  
Doctor: "Where."  
Clara: "Home."  
Doctor: "Please."  
Clara: "No"  
Doctor: "Clara."  
Doctor: "Clara."  
Doctor: "Please."  
Doctor : "Clara."  
Clara: "Doctor."  
Clara: "Stubborn."  
Doctor: "Please."  
Clara: "Goodbye."  
Map threw down her guitar and ran to the console room as fast as she could. The scene she walked in on was the TARDIS door about to be slammed on the Doctor. She couldn't let her leave. There was nothing she could do. She hadn't enough breath to yell out but in her mind she was screaming one word:  
"STOP!" Clara and The Doctor stopped moving. She used the moment to catch her breath. Bent double, arm around her stomach (she had a stitch) she began to plead. Every few words having to stop to take a deep breath.  
"Clara... You can't... Go... Please he... He needs you." She righted herself, looking up to see... No change at all. Clara stood half way through the door, tears about to spill, lips pouted in anger, forehead furrowed in sorrow, head turned resolutely away from her Doctor. Her Doctor, who stood, face passive, trying not to show his emotion, eyes filled with betrayal, mouth forcing itself to restrain from the quiver of grief. A single light on the TARDIS console paused mid-flash and a gust of wind keeping a few strands of Clara's hair stuck in mid air. Map's eyes went wide. They were frozen. Time was literally frozen. For a second she had thought they were surprised by her entrance and standing very still, perhaps in shock. No. They were frozen. They probably hadn't even noticed her run in. Map walked up to Clara and pulled the strands of hair back to her head. Then she looked outside. Two kids were having a water fight with hoses, droplets of water suspended in the air and hands permanently raised in defence. An old man was bent over telling off his dog. Map could see one hand behind his back, tightly gripping the handle of a lead, the other had one finger extended towards the cowering animal. It was everyone. Despite herself, Map laughed. Then she realised that it was her that had done it, and she laughed even more. All she needed to do was think, that was power even the Doctor didn't have. She grabbed Clara and picked her up, carrying her inside ever so slightly and closing the door to the TARDIS, she then placed herself between Clara and the exit. All she needed to do was think.  
"Start." Clara jumped in shock and squealed. The Doctor stared.  
"I was there. I was leaving. Doctor was that you?" The Doctor was struggling for words.  
"I. No. I didn't do that! It's like you teleported!" Map laughed and they stared at her. She tried to restrain herself.  
"Sorry it's just. Your faces! It's like she teleported? Have you never seen Star Trek? No it's not! It's like someone paused time and moved her! Which would make sense since someone did. Hi." They both just looked at her.

It was the same sort of look her foster parents had given her when they found weed in her room. Well no. It was the look they gave her after she explained that it had always been possible for communications through time and space in dreams and a trance-like state, and that she needed to talk to Madam Vastra, Jenny and Strax- the Victorian lizard woman from the dawn of time, her wife and their alien friend who could breast feed and looked like a potato (friends of her mother's- the time traveling archaeologist who studied on the moon.) That was when they had first put her into an institution. She had hated every second of it. They talked to her as is she was inept. The place was a breeding ground for insanity, it took only three months to break her. She lived in a constant state of terror, every noise muffled and every light blinding. By the time she thought she could take no more, word had reached the ears of a time agent who came to see her. When he left he took with him a message containing a date and a time and leaving behind a glimmer of hope. Luckily (and partially down to her penchant for biting) they gave her enough medication to serve the same purpose as a trance. First came Vastra and Jenny. Apparently Strax was busy on that day. At the time she was 11, but she could still remember it well.  
"Greetings child, would you like some tea?" Vastra held out a delicate china cup containing a transparent liquid. It looked like jasmine.  
"Thank you." She took the cup, hoping the warmth would soothe the insects that were crawling under her skin. However, her hand was shaking so much that most of the tea spilt into the saucer. Jenny looked at her with concern and Map realised that she was still wearing her white hospital gown. She tried to lift the cup to her lips but couldn't even to that. The frustration and embarrassment caused a sudden eruption of tears and her hands fell to the table, tea cup and all. After a moment she felt strong arms around her, bushy hair against her neck and heard words promising safety. Then the arms were gone and Jenny was grasping her hands and speaking softly.  
She awoke to gunfire and bolted upright. Peering through the glass in her cell door she saw her mother shoot the kneecaps of 20 guards with astounding accuracy. They fell to their knees and one held out a quivering hand. In it were the keys to her cell. Map smiled.

Pulling herself from her memory she saw that her current guardians were still staring. My god they needed better reaction time.  
"Clara. Just don't leave him. He's stubborn. But he's still amazing so it's worth it." She nodded slightly and swallowed. The Doctor moved towards her slowly, pinging one of the bushy strands of her hair and poking her.  
"You are not possible." He turned her round and stared into her eyes. He commenced a thorough inspection, coming up with nothing. She rolled her eyes.  
"How." Map opened her mouth, about to explain herself, then realised she had no explanation. She tried to smile charismatically. Clara asked her if she was feeling alright. She stopped smiling. Luckily for her, River Song took that moment to stumble through the TARDIS doors, providing a perfect distraction. All eyes turned to the professor and in her mind Map thought about everything stopping. Everything stopped. She moved into the shadows, not knowing when in her timeline this version of her mother was from. Then she thought about everything starting. Everything started.  
"Oh hello Clara!" How are you both doing? Sorry I left so abruptly. Bad mood." She smiled as though nothing had ever happened and strolled over to The Doctor, pushing them both onto the console, leaning into him for a kiss then stopping.  
"What is it? What's wrong?" He swallowed and she moved back a little, letting him stand upright.  
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong." He glanced around, looking for Map and saw her hiding. River, of course noticed and followed his eyes. She bolted away from him like he was poisonous. The look of terror and confusion on her face was one Map would never forget. Then it moved to anger and she lunged forward, dragging Map to the centre of the room. The Doctor, not yet understanding, moved to stop her but Clara, having understood, stopped him.  
"MAIYA WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH HIM?" She looked like she might cry, or shoot something. In her mind she was screaming.  
All she had ever wanted was to keep Maiya safe, away from The Doctor. Away from a life of death and danger and loosing everyone you love. Away from a life where you aren't even safe to fall in love. She had tried so hard, for nothing.  
"Mother, please!" The Doctor stopped struggling in Clara's arms and River turned to him. His eyes filled with betrayal and in the corner of his eye he saw Map disappear. She put a hand on his arm and he looked down.  
"Take her home, now. Maiya is the only thing in my life you haven't destroyed, Doctor." He took three steps forward and she took three back. After a quick moment, River turned and ran. Without meeting anyone's eyes, The Doctor stormed out of the console room.

When she could no longer hear his footsteps, Clara enveloped the teenage girl in her arms. For a moment, she continued to stand, staring, in a state of shock. Then her body began to shake and she let the sobs wrack her form, Clara swaying her and telling her it would all be okay.


End file.
